Verdy Jake – Navajo Reservation Silversmith Profile

About Verdy Jake

Verdy Jake grew up in a large family with thirteen children, where her oldest brother was the first to take up silver work. He went on to teach the rest of his siblings the craft, including Verdy, making silversmithing something of a shared family education passed sibling to sibling rather than only from parent to child.

Verdy lives at Smith Lake on the Navajo reservation, the same community associated with fellow artisan Lucy Calladitto. She is in her thirties and has four children of her own.

Identifying Verdy Jake's Work

Her hallmark appears as either Verdy J. or V. Jake.

Style & Family Tradition

Having learned silversmithing as part of a sibling-taught family tradition within a household of thirteen children, Verdy's work reflects a jewelry education built on shared learning across an unusually large family unit, a somewhat distinct pattern compared to the more common single-mentor teaching relationships seen among other Southwest silversmiths.

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